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Yesterday I was talking about trying my hand at jewelry with the many stones I have collected over the years. I decided I was awful at it, ready to give up and certainly wire-wrapping was difficult and not something which I would continue. So after researching many Youtubes and websites, I thought maybe drilling stones would be the next step. I casually mentioned this to my husband….

Lo and behold, I came home and he had bought me a powerful Dremel tool and the work table! What a guy… Here I am, on the kitchen table drilling my first stone. I used a tuna can and pushed the stone into hard clay. It worked really well!

I don’t really know how long this whole process is supposed to take, but from everything I read, you should go very slowly, be patient, keep the stone wet in order to save your bits and not break the stone. So after about 25 minutes, here is the end result:

I tried to use a not-so-amazing stone in case I ruined it. But I think it came out fine. I was daring and used a hard stone. Most sites recommended starting with a soft beach stone.

I think I am onto something and will continue.

In my minimalist manner, all things are neatly put away and organized. I can see this could get out of control quickly if I don’t turn my attention to detail in running this craft.

Here is the plan:

Work on one stone at a time. Finish it completely. (Get the pendant, necklace, bracelet, etc. to a complete stage able to be worn before starting something new)

Put all tools away after use.

Keep the area clean of dirt and clear of clutter.

If something fails (rocks crack, bits break), stop for the night, put things away, and start again another day.

Don’t get discouraged.

I think this plan will allow me to progress and not get discouraged and stay organized. I also don’t want to run an Etsy business that just encourages people to buy “junk”. I will go slowly, aim for quality, but keep the prices low with very little markup over production costs.